At the end of 2022, Comtest hosted its clients at an extravagant Channel Partner Day at the Barnyard in Menlyn. The day started off with informative presentations from Comtest staff and an awards ceremony, and culminated in a spectacular musical show, ‘The 90s vs. The Noughties’.
Load shedding couldn’t dampen the spirits as the day got underway and guests settled down with a cup of coffee, ready for the presentations. Francesco Pagin, Fluke Sales Manager for the Africa region explained the company’s vision for the test measurement market both locally and internationally. “Fluke has a long history of innovation, and our goal is to assist our customers to utilise the power of our products and solutions in the best way possible,” he said. “As our founder, John Fluke Senior said, “Our customers have the right to get a little more than what they paid for”.” Pagin noted that the core criteria of Fluke products will always be accuracy, reliability, ruggedness, ergonomics and safety and that the company is thankful to retain global leadership through its partnership with Comtest.
Next up, Fayez al Nobani, Fluke Sales Director for the Middle East and Africa region, noted that this year is Fluke’s 75th year as leaders in the test instrument market, and that the company was kicking off the celebrations at the event in Johannesburg. “Fluke is looking ahead to expand its expertise and to accelerate progress. The company is designing its strategy to future trends, for instance solar, electric vehicle, connected devices and new software.” As such, the plans for 2023 locally include releasing more products aimed at the solar market and working closer with channel partners.
Barend Niemand, Comtest CEO and Jannie Dirks, Comtest Sales Director then took to the stage and highlighted the core values of the company, which include high ethical standards, a focus on excellent service from top to bottom, a vision to leave and breathe change management, and an end goal to maximise returns for all stakeholders, customers and end users. “The Channel Partner Programme was launched in 2020, and despite the interruption of Covid, the results speak for themselves,” explained Niemand. Dirks noted that the company has achieved 30% growth since 2019 in a challenging market, much of which is down to the sales team which clocked half a million kilometres during 2022, visiting over 2000 end users.
Next it was time for the much-anticipated awards. The following companies walked away with the accolades:
- Best Performing Channel Partner per region
- North West: Voltex Rustenburg
- KwaZulu-Natal: Magnet Electrical Supplies
- Mpumalanga: Electro Field Services
- Gauteng: Tooltech
- Eastern Cape: Haslop & Mason Engineering
- Limpopo: Giant Marketing
- Western Cape: Flo Specialized Product Solutions
- Channel Partners with the most sales activities at end-user level:
- North West: Applecon
- KwaZulu-Natal: Magnet Electrical Supplies
- Mpumalanga: Bolt & Engineering
- Eastern Cape: EPM Electronic & Power Manufacturing
- Limpopo: Giant Marketing
- Western Cape: Technosales
- Free State: AME Welkom
- Best Marketing Activities: Magnet Electrical Supplies
- Best New Channel Partner: ARB Electrical Wholesalers
- International Channel Partner: Central Technical Supplies
- Electrical Wholesaler: Adendorff
- Best overall performing Channel Partner: Bolt & Engineering
After the formalities, the guests were joined by Comtest office and factory staff who all enjoyed a hearty lunch before settling in for the dazzling musical show.
Enquiries: www.comtest.co.za
